Concerts from the couch: Top music festivals to watch online
Your favourite acts are just a click away.
Live streaming has made access to music festivals easier than ever.
Battling the crowds, handling the heat and spending your earnings on refreshments is now entirely avoidable as more and more festivals serve up live streams straight into your living room that can be watched on your laptop, desktop computer or Smart TV.
Better still, you can catch all your favourite international festivals too - which is especially exciting for music lovers in Australia who are often a long flight away from the world’s biggest live events.
Your living room festival calendar
Most Australian music festivals now offer live streaming of the event.
From Splendour in the Grass to the popular Laneway Festival, your favourite acts are just a click away. International festivals such as Glastonbury, Coachella and Ultra Music Festival are serving up streaming too (do bear in mind the time difference when streaming from Australia).
If you have a favourite festival, the first step is to head to their website to see if live streaming is an option. Some events have a dedicated YouTube channel so that's worth checking out as well. Facebook and Twitter feeds also mention live streaming from the previous year’s event if it was made available.
Post-festival blues
If you missed your favourite festival or want to relive the best moments, some events and artists post their sets to SoundCloud or YouTube. The length of the set will depend on the festival and the artist, but it’s worth looking into.
Some festivals also release Spotify playlists featuring top sets from the event, or even create pre-festival playlists to announce their line-up and get you in the mood.
You can also curate your own 'festival favourites' playlist, which can be a mix-and-match of your preferred pieces.
So there’s no reason you need to miss out on the world’s best live performances - just tune in from the comfort of your own home!
Live streaming needs access to a fast and reliable network. Check your address to see if you can connect to the nbn™ network.
Upcoming Music Festivals
1) Stereosonic
Nov 28 - Dec 6; across all major Australian cities
While no live streaming has been confirmed for Stereosonic this year, get excited for the big day by watching the 2014 Official Aftermovie online here.
Dec 30 - Jan 3; Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron Bay
Not sure what to expect when it comes to camping festivals? Falls TV has a great bunch of videos to best prepare you! From festival highlights, artist interviews and camping tips, watch them online here.
3) Field Day
Jan 1, 2016; Sydney, Australia
It can be a struggle to get out of bed and head to a festival after a night spent welcoming in the New Year. Feel like you’re part of the crowd at home with Field Day highlights and artist interviews from previous years here.
4) St Jerome’s Laneway Festival
Feb 1-14, 2016; across major Australian cities
Previously, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival has partnered with the likes of Virgin Mobile Australia to bring the festival into your lounge room with dedicated mobile live streaming apps. While nothing has been confirmed for 2016, it's worth keeping an eye out!
March 18-20, 2016; Miami, Florida
This is one of the world’s most anticipated music festivals - join in on all the live action, sounds and lights from Miami by live streaming Ultra Music Festival here.
6) Coachella
April 15-24, 2016; California
Can’t make it to California to catch your favourite Coachella acts? YouTube has you sorted with a live stream available to watch from the comfort of your couch here.